Berlin is to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of the magnificent bust of Queen Nefertiti – wife of monotheistic pharaoh, Akhnaten – with an exhibition of objects discovered at the Amarna archaeological site in Upper Egypt where the bust was originally found.

Entitled 'In the Light of Amarna,' the exhibition will open on 6 December, the day on which the bust was unearthed one hundred years ago by a German archaeological team led by Egyptologist Ludwig Borchardt. Artefacts on display will include 600 objects used in the everyday lives of ancient Egyptians.

Eight years ago, a dispute erupted between Germany and Egypt over ownership of the iconic bust, when then-antiquities minister Zahi Hawass – claiming that Borchardt had illegally obtained the bust in 1912 – asked Germany to return it to Egypt. According to Egyptian antiquities laws in the early 20th century, the spoils of any new archaeological discovery should be split between Egypt and the foreign mission concerned; any 'unique' artefacts, however, should be left in Egypt's possession.

The German government, for its part, has continued to reject these claims, insisting that Germany is the bust's rightful owner.

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hani Booz

29-08-2012 01:45pm

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Queen Nefertiti statue

I guess that I have been lucky to see the statue in 1985 at Berlin Mueseum. It was well kept and looked after as a previous minister declared at the time"it could not have been at a better place"
The question that come immediately to your mind how it came there?I t is not the first or the last of our treasure scattered all over
the world.There are obelisk in Paris,Istanbul, Buenos Aires which are likely a gift or the one in London Cleopatra needle which is disputed.Mueseums in London ,Paris,Stockholm,New York have a a large section on Ancient Egypt.There is no doubt in my mind that a lot of these treasures are obtained illegally but many legally.
My point of view they make us proud of our culture,history and civilization.They are all well kept and should be kept there.Our Cairo museum is the biggest store of antiquity in the world which needs to be better organized. Perhaps we can ask the German for a visit of her majesty statue to Cairo for for a short period and the same for th

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lol

27-08-2012 10:21pm

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How is Germany the rightful owner of the bust?

Was Nefertiti Queen of Germany??? How stupid people can get!!!

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expat

29-08-2012 05:33am

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reading helps

in the article its stated,that at that time the split of findings was the law.As this has been done,its legal